The fifth annual Screendance Conference held during the Festival International de Vidéo Danse de Bourgogne (France) is currently seeking papers that address the theme: low-tech/old-tech. The conference will take place on June 1-2, 2017 at the University of Burgundy in Le Creusot, France.

As a festival that has consistently favored ideas and artistic ingenuity over imposing the use of so-called “high production values”, this year’s conference theme proposes an investigation into the aesthetics, politics, and practices surrounding the rejection of environmental waste created by technological consumerism and equipment monopolies that limit creative freedoms, including the normalization of HD and other production values that tend to constrain creation, curation, and distribution opportunities in screendance. Papers that consider how screendance has and can encourage an exchange of ideas and new forms of expression by eschewing capitalist economies of filmmaking in favor of radical re-imaginings of low-tech and old-tech equipment will be presented in the form of moderated panels, round tables and individual talks. Proposals for individual papers and/or entire panels will be considered.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

How economies of screendance include and exclude filmmakers during production, curation and/or distribution.

Re-evaluating the notion of production “values” – What is of value in production? And who decides?

Reuse and recycle – radical aesthetics and re-imagining of old and low-budget technologies. From the dirty camera lenses of Guy Madden intentionally left opaque, to guerilla street filming tactics, how are old and low technologies engaged within the hybrid framework of screendance and to what ends?

Analyses of individual films past and present that resonate with the conference theme are also encouraged.

In addition to film and performance studies, presentations that draw on complementary fields such as curatorial studies, art history, and other areas of creative intellectual inquiry are welcome.

To propose a paper, please send a 500 word abstract that clearly states your topic, thesis, and supporting ideas. Keep in mind that paper presentations are normally twenty minutes in length. It is better to focus on one or several central ideas than to be overly ambitious in scope, which leaves little time for in depth consideration of the proposed topic. Please include a biography or C.V. with your proposal. Artist presentations (practice-based research) proposals are eligible, but must have a clear research focus that relates to the theme. Alternative presentation formats are welcome, but please describe your proposed format and technical needs clearly. The working language of the conference is English. Deadline for proposals: March 21, 2017. E-mail proposals to: info@videodansebourgogne.com All proposals receive a confirmation e-mail upon receipt. Further notification will be sent to all proposals before April 1 via e-mail regarding status of acceptance.

About the conference: For five years the Festival International de Vidéo Danse de Bourgogne has proposed an annual two-day conference intended as an international meeting place for artists, scholars, and students. Occurring during the festival week, evening screenings, informal talks and other meet-ups complement the conference schedule. Le Creusot is a small city situated on the train line between Paris and Lyon (one hour from Paris on the speed train, 20 minutes from Lyon). There is no fee to participate in the conference. Conference presentations may be invited for publication on the Screendance Studies blog or future publications, such as our 2015 book, Art in Motion: Current Research in Screendance: